Attachment to knitting-machines for ornamenting hosiery.



A. GEE.

ATTACHMENT T0 KNITTING MACHINES FOR ORNAMENTING HOSIBRY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23,1911. l

Patented Jan. 16, 1912:

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WM a AWML UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT GEE, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ATTACHMENT TO KNITTING-MACHINES ORNAMENTING HOSIERY.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16,1912.

Application filed March 23,1911. Serial No. 616,417.

Attachments to Knitting-Machines for Ornamenting Hosiery, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention has relation to an attachment adapted for employment with afull fashioning fiat knitting machine to variably ornament hosiery'durin production thereof; and in such connectlon it relates to theparticular constructive arrangement of such.

an attachment to the knitting machine for the defined purpose.

The nature and sco e of my present invention will be more f fillyunderstood from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying-drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1, is a frontelevational view of an attachment to a flat knitting machine to ornamenthosiery during production, embodying main features of my said invention.Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view of said attachment. Fig. 3, is afront elevational view of a modified arrangement of said attachment toobtain different ornamental effects in the hosiery, during production;and

Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional elevation of actuating parts of thesaid attachment, as shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a and a, are the reciprocating bars of a flatknitting machine provided with thread-carriers a and u On each of thebars a and a is secured the pattern forming step-like devices I) and 6These devices are preferably arranged in pyramidal form and so as toregulate movements of the bars a and a, as well as the thread carriers aand a a, is a bifurcated bar held in guides w and as, of the machine.The bar a, as shown, is mounted on a shaft a of the machine and is alsoprovided with a depending extension a, held under tension by means of aspring a. This extension also carries a term nal roll a operated by acam a",

with which it is held in engagement. by means of a spring a". The cam 0,is socured to a shaft a, of the machine. this shaft (13, is secured aratchet-wheel a, and loosely carried on the same shaft adjacent to theratchet-wheel a, is a second ratchet-wheel a. As shown, the teeth'ofthese ratchet-wheels-a and a", preferably differ in number withrespectto'each other,

as clearly shown in Fig. 2,1a1though they could be arranged each'with alike number.

of teeth and equally goodgresults/ be ob.- tain ed.- The ratchet-wheel a,'lo0se1y mount ed on the shaft" a, has -a' lesser number of teeth thanthe ratchet-wheel a fixed to the said shaft. In the ratchet-wheel a, oneor more of'the teeth for example a is deeper than the rest of'the teethof this ratchetwheel.

o, is a cam mounted on a shaft 0 of the machine, which,actuates a roll 0journaled to abar 0 carrying a handle 0 and hook a, for lifting the sameout of the way, when required, that is, when simply plain knitting, bythe machine is to be done. The bar 0 is mounted at its forward end on ashaft 0, of the machine and between its forward pivotal connection andthe roll 0 carried thereby, is arrangeda pawl 0 in pivotal connectiontherewith and normally arranged to engage the ratchet-wheel a and heldin engagement therewith, by means of a spring 0 until a deep tooth ofsaid ratchet-wheel is brought into position with the same, when the saidpawl engages with teeth of both ratchet-wheels of the shaft a, torevolve the latter and the cam a", to operate the roll a of the bar a,and thereby cause the bifurcated portion of said bar to step up, notchby notch or down, notch by notch of the py ramidal step-devices b and 6These devices so arranged one in advance of the other as shown in Fig,2, control the successive throw movements of the bars a and a, and alsothe carriers a and a of the ornamenting thread or yarn inroducing theparticular ornamental design 1n the hosiery and during ordinary knittingof the'stocking blank, as

cated portion of the bar a, being caused Y to successively step up notchby notch and thus to increase step by step the throw of the bars a anda, to gradually increase or widen the design in the stocking, ,whileordinary knitting of the same is going on. A reverse movement'of thebifurcated bar (1, produces a gradual narrowing of the' design, in thestocking and during knitting thereof. This is effected by the step bystep movement downward of the said bar along the steps of the pyramidaldevices 6 and b shortening the throw of .the bars a and a, asdescending, as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the action of the bars aand a in connection with the devices 6 and b induced by the operatingmechanism of the machine 1 described, will cause during knitting on aflatmachine ornamental designs or configurations corresponding in shapeor form to those illustrated in plan Fig. 1. Further, that in order tovary the designs, as shown, it is only necessary to change the form ofthe devices 6 and b and this can be readily accomplished by simplyremoving the-type of said devices 6 and b, of Fig. 1, from the bars aand a and replacing by others having different pyramidal pattern formingconditions.

In Figs. 3 and 4, are shown, a modified arrangement of the pyramidalpattern forming devices 6 and 6 In this instance they are arranged inreverse relationship to each other from the respective bars a and a,

and are engaged by the bifurcated portion of the bar a, and movedstep-by-step upward to cause the bars a and a to be moved in oppositedirections and at the same time limited as to their oscillations to thuscorrespondingly operate the thread-carriers a and a manipulating theornamenting thread or yarns back and forth rapidly to variably produce azig-zag ornamental design, such as is shown in plan, in Fig. 3, duringknitting of the hosiery on a full fashioning flat knitting machine. InFig. 4,

the bifurcated portion of the bar a, is pivthat when a set of steps ofthe said devices 6 and Zryare alined under the influence of the springa", the bifurcated portion of the bar a, is lifted into engagement withthe set of steps of the devices 6 and N, to

new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a knitting machine, twohorizontal reciprocating bars, thread carriers supported by said bars,two step-like pattern forming devices secured to said bars and arrangedone in advance of the other, a pivoted bifurcated bar provided withroller-means,

said bar arranged to step up or down, notch by notch, of said patternforming devices and a cam controlled pawl and ratchet mechanism toactuate said bifurcated bar and thereby to permit of reciprocaticns ofsaid horizontal bars, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a knitting machine, two horizontal reciprocating bars, threadcarriers supported by said bars, two step-like pattern forming devicessecured to said bars, and arranged one in advance-of the other and ajointed bifurcated bar provided with rollermeans, said bar arranged tostep up or down,

notch by notch, of said pattern forming de vices, a spring connectedwith both members of said bifurcated bar and a cam controlled pawl andratchet mechanism for actuating said bifurcated bar and thereby topermit of reciprocations of said horizontal bars, substantially as andfor the purposes described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. SIMONDET, HARRY WRIGHT.

ALBERT GEE.

